Love Like This
by watchxxthexsky
Summary: And since tomorrow was Valentine’s Day, he was forming the perfect plan to show her how much she meant to him. It was time that things went back to how they were supposed to be. LP


Okay, so I took a break from AWEN and TSITT to write a fluffy, happy one-shot for Valentine's Day. Let's face it – all of us LPers could use that after what the OTH writers put us through with the last episode. I'm also planning on writing an angsty one-shot, but I needed this first! Hope you all enjoy. But, I must warn – it's a bit long!

P.S – everything belongs to the Schwahn man and Tollins/Robbins. Plus, I must admit – some of Lucas's dialogue was taken from Walk the Line. Or, it's similar to that.

* * *

_well this life tried to keep us apart_

_you keep calling me back to your heart_

_i'm so glad you found me_

_wrap your world around me_

_never found a love like this_

Lucas Scott sighed upon looking at his desk calendar; tomorrow was February 14th, Valentine's Day. This would be the first Valentine's Day he'd spend alone in 3 years. The past two years he had Lindsey, and the year before that, Lily had been his honorary Valentine, even at her young age, instinctually knowing her big brother would be sad without Peyton on that day.

The reason he was spending this day alone was very simple: he was a selfish man that had been lying to everyone for far too long. It was never his intention to hurt anyone; Lucas fancied himself a kind, warm man who always saw the best in people and always wanted to help those who mattered most to him. Somehow, though, he always managed to get himself into trouble concerning love.

Things were okay after he proposed to Lindsey. But that's all – just okay. Peyton had stayed far away, not wanting to see the happy engaged couple all over town. He'd heard from Brooke that she buried herself in her label. Every time he tried to see her, Peyton would either ignore him or stare blankly ahead, as if she wasn't absorbing anything. That was if he actually got to see her, usually Brooke stepped in before he could reach her. Lucas knew their last encounter had left Peyton a mess. Kissing her and then proposing to Lindsey would always go down in his book as the biggest mistake of his life. He knew it affected her, because it sure as hell shook him to the core.

After weeks spent trying to contact her, and her avoiding him, Lucas had given up. He never stopped to think why he was trying so hard to win the friendship of his ex-girlfriend back. He was terrified that if he really thought about it, the truth would be unveiled, and his whole life would unravel before him. Having Peyton Sawyer as his friend was safer than the other options.

One day, nearly 2 months after the proposal, Lindsey was out with Haley, making wedding preparations. They had decided to do this wedding as soon as possible. Not that Lucas would fully admit to himself, and he'd sure as hell never say it out loud, for he'd certainly lose his fiancée, but he wanted to marry her as soon as possible, because if he didn't, he'd back out.

On this day, Lucas had once again tried calling Peyton, which of course proved to be fruitless. Not even an hour later, a fuming Brooke Davis showed up at his door. He knew he was in for trouble.

"_Lucas freaking Scott! If you don't stop this outbreak of semi-stalker behavior, you won't have to worry about Peyton getting angry, you'll have to worry about me getting angry, and that you seriously don't want. I'd do more damage than she ever could. Because she's fragile and she loves you, and she's too weak to admit how badly you're hurting her by not staying away. Luckily, I have none of these problems."_

"_Oh, so she sends you here to do her dirty work?" Lucas sneered. _

_Brooke moved to him and smacked the back of his head. Hard. _

"_Fuck! That hurt!"_

"_Well, have you not listened to a word I said? Idiot! You need to leave her alone, I'm serious, Lucas. This is killing her, and you have to know that. Lucas, she told you she still loved you, you two kiss – and that same night you propose to Lindsey. How do you think she feels?"_

_Lucas's eyes shone with sadness and he couldn't speak, for his throat was clenching, and he knew tears were just around the corner. _

"_Not only did you propose to her, you proposed with _Peyton's ring_. How could you do that, Lucas? You're lucky Peyton never saw it, or else she might've physically hurt you. I was sick to my stomach when I saw that, and it wasn't even my ring. And no, I didn't tell Peyton, because it would break her down, well, what's left of her." _

_Before Lucas could speak, Brooke was walking out the door, but stopped to say one last thing. "Lucas, just stay the hell away from her. I'm warning you. If you ever loved her at all, just leave her alone."_

"_And that's what makes it so hard," he whispered to what he thought was an empty room._

The next event that took place was something Lucas would never forget.

_As Brooke walked out his back door, Lindsey entered through his bedroom door. The look on her face was one of betrayal._

_She calmly walked to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, and stood in front of him. Already, tears were rimming her eyes, and what she was about to say almost got caught in her throat. Her voice came out strangled and tired. "I knew that you've been trying to reconcile a friendship with Peyton these past few weeks. And I made peace with that, because it was me you proposed to, and it was me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with."_

_Lindsey paused momentarily to gather her thoughts and slowly slipped the ring off of her left ring finger. Lucas watched in shock, and his life seemed to go by in slow motion; he knew what was coming. He wasn't sure if that was relief or dread, or a combustible mixture of the two that was invading his chest. _

"_I stood at that door and listened to your whole conversation with Brooke. To know that you proposed to Peyton is not as shocking as I thought it would be. What is – is that you cheated on me with her, Lucas! I never thought you'd be that guy, and I am completely devastated that you could even think to hurt me like that. And then – you propose to me that night with the same ring you used on Peyton? Double slap in the face. _

_It's like you were running from her and using me as your shield. I deserve better than that, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but so does she. You're not who I thought you were, Lucas. And I can't marry you. I can't submit myself to a life of having to live up to Peyton Sawyer. Because let's face it – I'm not her, and you'll never love anyone else like you do her. And it's unfair to try and mold myself into something I'll never be."_

_At the end of her speech, tears were rolling down both of their faces, and she was trying to stop herself from sobbing. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and one last gentle kiss on his lips. _

"_I'll be back in the morning for my things."_

"_Lindsey," he called to her. "I am _so_ sorry."_

_She nodded. "Me too."_

Lucas shook his head of that day and looked at the clock. Lucas admitted to himself that he was glad Lindsey broke it off, because he never would've had the courage too. And that alone proved he was no longer the person he wanted to be. So, after that day, Lucas had set to making things right in his world.

It had started with a long conversation with his best friend. She always seemed to know what he was feeling and thinking, and she'd point him in the right direction. He apologized for the way they'd argued after she caught him kissing Peyton. He hadn't been very nice to Haley then, and he wanted to clear the air. She was forgiving, but she was clearly sad that Lindsey had left him and moved back to New York. She admitted to him, though, that she knew it was only a matter of time before the Lucas and Peyton saga picked back up. He wasn't sure if she was happy about that or not.

After that, he'd taken to spending more time with Jamie. He felt that being around an innocent child helped clear his mind and bring him back to better times. Plus, he loved his nephew with all his heart. Being single provided him with the time he needed to spend with the bright 5 year old.

He continued on with his writing; the avoidance from Peyton and all the hurt he'd put the three of them through providing ample inspiration. Through out it all, he had his writing.

However, his most important feat had been getting Peyton to talk to him again. He supposed word had gotten to her – through Brooke – that the engagement was called off, because the next time he stopped by her office she was a little more welcoming.

"_Knock, knock." _

_Peyton looked up and wasn't sure what to feel when she saw the form of her ex-boyfriend standing in the doorway. _

_He took a small white flag out of his pocket and waved it. _

_She smiled despite herself and waved him in. "Come on in, Luke."_

"_I promise I'm not here to fight, if you promise not to throw books at me."_

_She smiled softly. "I heard about the engagement… I'm really sorry."_

"_Thanks, Peyton."_

_The two old lovers at in silence, not knowing where to go next. _

"_Peyton, I need to apologize for what I've done. The way I came at you that night at Tric was wrong of me. Lindsey and I had been fighting all night about you and I took my anger out on you. I never meant to hurt you, and I never meant to propose to Lindsay after kissing you. I guess old habits die hard."_

_She raised an eyebrow, as if questioning what that meant._

"_I get scared of what's happening between us, and vulnerable – and I run and hide behind someone else. I'm not proud of it, Peyt, but I'm going to change, I promise. This is one promise I won't break, because I hate who I've become. And you deserve better than that from me."_

_Peyton looked up at him, tears rimming her red eyes, and mouthed a silent "thank you." _

"_I want us to start over, Peyton. I can't stand not having you in my life. I want to make things right. Will you please let me do that?"_

_Her head and her heart were at war, but her heart won out. Not talking to him was worse than facing him with Lindsey. "Okay, but if you want to be friends again, then we have to take it one day at a time. It'll be a slow process."_

_Lucas smiled softly and set his hand on top of hers, and gently squeezed. _

_He stood up to leave, but when he got to the door, he stopped. "Peyton, do you think that maybe someday ,we could…"_

_Peyton knew what he was hinting at and tilted her head. "Maybe someday."_

That had been 2 months ago, right before Christmas. Since then, they'd slowly been building up their friendship. He was getting to know her all over again, and by doing this, he was falling in love with her all over again. It was tough being near her and just being friends, but he knew she felt it, too. He knew how much he hurt her, so he was waiting it out.

And since tomorrow was Valentine's Day, he was forming the perfect plan to show her how much she meant to him. It was time. The innocent touches, longing glances, and flirting had become too much. He simply couldn't take it anymore. It was time that things went back to how they were supposed to be.

-----

Peyton Sawyer trudged up the stairs of Tric and toward her office moping. It was Valentine's Day, and she was not thrilled. She only planned to come into the office for a few hours, get some serious work done, and then go home to the solace of her bedroom and hunker down with cookie dough ice cream and romantic comedies. She figured she was allowed to mope on this one day.

Peyton had hoped that her friendship with Lucas would gravitate into something more, but it seemed that he had lost interest in a romantic relationship. She tried not to be too sad about it, but it couldn't be helped – her love for Lucas Scott was more alive than ever, and she didn't see it ever disappearing.

When she stepped into her office, she gasped loudly and took in the sight around her. There must have been twenty dozen daisies spread throughout her office. Most girls like roses, but Peyton had always preferred daisies. They were natural, wild, and oddly beautiful – she always felt they were the perfect flower.

Peyton dropped her bag beside her desk and stared at the room in wonder. She looked all around the room for a card; searched through the masses of flowers, opened drawers, and shuffled through papers, to no avail. There was no card and no hint of who could've left the flowers for her. She felt the hope start to swell within her that maybe Lucas could have done this for her; after all, he was a romantic to the extreme. She immediately squashed the idea, for fear of getting her hopes up, and them not coming true. Peyton figured it was Brooke trying to be thoughtful because she knew how much Peyton wasn't looking forward to this day.

-----

Peyton returned home from work 6 hours later, tired but secretly thrilled. Every hour on the dot, a new bouquet of a dozen daisies showed up; all in different colors. She wasn't even aware that daisies came in pink, red, or purple. But they had, and she had received each color, each time without a note, and the delivery man seemed to have no clue as to who was leaving the flowers behind, but did seem impressed that the small area was covered by the delicate flowers.

As soon as she walked in the door, she was greeted with the sight of Brooke getting ready to go out with Owen. After a long, drawn out chase, Owen had finally given in to the prowess of Brooke Davis.

"You look hot B. Davis! Owen doesn't stand a chance."

Brooke twirled and clapped her hands. "Well, thank you. I do look kind of hot, don't I?"

They both laughed while Brooke went back to primping. "Hey Brooke, I know this is a weird question, but… did you send me flowers today?"

"Oh yeah, I did. I didn't want my best friend to feel left out, and I know how bummed you were about today. I wanted to give you something to cheer you up."

Peyton put a small smile on her face, but inside she felt like crumbling down. All day, even though she'd told herself not to, she held out hope that they were from Lucas.

"Well that was awesome of you, Brooke, thanks. I didn't even know you could find purple daisies so easily – they were beautiful."

Brooke quirked an eyebrow and shook her head slightly, in confusion. "Daisies? No, I left you roses, they're up in your bedroom."

With that one sentence, Peyton's hope was back full force and nearly taking over her body.

"Okay, well I have to get going, I'm meeting Owen in 5 minutes. But I want to hear about these daisies you got, and if you figure out who they're from."

"Yeah, well I hope I have an answer for you later."

As Brooke turned around, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "Something tells me you will," she muttered, closing the door before any questions were asked.

-----

Armed with three DVDs, a carton of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream, and a bag full of Hershey's Kisses, Peyton made her way up to her room. When she got to her door, a crisp white note was taped to the front, with only a few words written on the front. **Be My Valentine?**

Peyton couldn't control the giddy smile that rose to her face. This writing was very familiar. She set her junk food and movies down in the hallway, and wiped her sweaty palms against her jeans. Agonizingly slow, Peyton reached for the doorknob and turned it, cautiously stepping into her room.

For the second time that day, Peyton entered a room that was filled with daisies. She walked to the middle of the room and looked around, but once again there was no clue that he had been there, or that he was even the one leaving the flowers.

"Brooke Davis, if this is some cruel joke you're playing on me, I swear I'm going to freaking murder you," Peyton shouted to the empty room.

At the sound of soft footsteps behind her, Peyton whipped around to stare into those deep blue pools of emotion she loved so much. They stood face to face for what seemed like ages, both overcome with their own set of thoughts and emotions.

"So… you like my flowers?" She teased.

He looked around as if surprised by the amount and then smiled slyly, moving closer to her by a few steps. "I sure do. So, who sent these to you? Whoever it was sure went overboard on the daisies."

Peyton nodded and moved one step forward, closer to him. "Yeah, whoever did this knows me very well. Daisies are my favorite."

Another step from Lucas. "You know, I've heard that somewhere before."

One last step from Peyton. "Oh really? So are you saying that you're the one who's been bombarding me with flowers all day?"

Lucas took the initiative and closed the gap between them, lifting a hand to her face, cradling it gently. "And what would you say if I did?"

Peyton looked down at the floor, before looking back up into his eyes. "I'd say it's about damn time."

Lucas couldn't take it anymore; he brought his other hand up to her face, so that he was cupping her with both hands. As he was leaning in for the kiss that they had both anticipated for the past 4 months, Peyton's eyelids fluttered closed, and her heart almost stopped.

When their lips finally connected, it felt to them both that they were finally coming home after a long journey spent apart. Her mouth opened under the pressure of his, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue in lightly, something he'd only been able to dream of until now. As they continued to explore the warmth of each other's mouths that no time apart could erase from their memory, Peyton clutched his collar, pulling him closer, as if to make sure he was really there, and not a figment of her imagination.

After the need for air became too great, and the blondes had pulled away from their intense lip lock, tears began to gather in the corners of Lucas's eyes.

"The tears?" She questioned, nervousness bubbling up.

"Peyt, I have some things I need to say to you, but you can't say anything until I've finished, okay?"

After her affirming nod, Lucas cleared his throat and began:

"Peyton, I've done so many things that I'm not proud of. Leaving you in that hotel room, accusing you of giving up on me, and proposing to Lindsey after kissing you – making you feel like you meant nothing, when that was never the truth. The only mistake in that kiss was that I became a coward and proposed instead of breaking it off with her."

Even though she'd promised to keep quiet, hearing him detail their painful history was almost too much to bear. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Could she handle the possibility of her heart getting crushed again?

"Lucas, this is too much, maybe…"

Lucas knew she was going to protest and back away, but he wouldn't allow it. No one was giving up this time. "Peyton… no. I have so much more you need to hear.

I was a coward, and I was being selfish, and weak, and stupid. I hurt myself, Lindsey, and you – and I regret that the most. Hurting you and knowing that I'm the cause of your pain breaks my heart, Peyt. But those days are over, I swear."

When he saw her roll her eyes up to the sky, and tears drip down, he took a different approach. "Look, I know I said and did a lot of things and I hurt you real bad, and I made promises that I didn't keep; I told you I'd wait for you, no matter how long it took, and then I made a speech about how much I loved you and needed you in my life, and I didn't follow through. I know it broke your heart, Peyton, and it broke mine too. As much as you said you were young and scared, so was I. We both made mistakes, I more than you. But if you just give me one more chance, Peyt… I will be that man you fell in love with, and I will live every day trying my damndest not to hurt you again.

I want us together forever, for always. I can't be without you anymore. We're Lucas and Peyton, and we're meant to be together; it's the way it's supposed to be. I love you Peyton… I'm in love with you."

Peyton had been trembling all throughout his speech and when he finally finished all she could muster out was an agonizing "Oh."

Lucas was instantly thrown back to the night in senior year when she admitted her love to him. "Oh?"

Peyton shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled slightly. "Yeah. How does that response feel?"

Lucas exhaled noisily, knowing everything was going to be okay. "Not good. Yet again, another thing I'm sorry for."

"I'm not. If you would've told me you loved me then, I wouldn't have gotten the "it's you" speech… that I wouldn't have missed for the world."

Lucas drew her into his arms and stared deep into her sparkling green eyes. "Peyt?"

"I'm so in love with you, Lucas. Let's do this again. And I can make you a promise I won't break. The next time you ask me to marry you… I won't say no."

Lucas crashed his lips onto hers, and as he roughly moved his lips with hers, he knew she was going to follow through with this promise. And he'd follow through with his.

Resting his forehead against hers, he whispered, "Happy Valentine's Day, Peyt." Her eyes shone brighter than he could ever remember seeing them shine.

In the end it was an easy choice for Peyton. Even though he'd been the guy to break her heart more than once, she knew that her heart wouldn't survive at all if he wasn't there with her. No one could ever make a promise not to hurt you again, she knew. And they both knew it would inevitably happen, but together they'd make it work. The risk was worth it to them. Because this time, deep down they both felt it… they were going to have their forever.

_you're the only one that knows me,  
_

_love it when you hold me,  
_

_never find a love like this.  
_

_let me hear you say,  
_

_now i'll never be lonely,  
_

_look at what you've shown me,  
_

_never find a love like this_

* * *

Okay, cheesy and cliché it may be… but this has been a rough week emotionally. All of the LP angst started out amazing, but now it's been almost too much to handle. I just want them back together. Let me know what you thought, good or bad!


End file.
